I'm A Florent Fox, Listen Carefully

B&W Door 14 Lightning Bug Fairies

         "Look what I've got in my jar," hollered Alexandra to her younger sister.

         Christina sitting on a log near the roaring campfire shrugged her shoulders. She poked the dancing flames with a stick.

         Not to be ignored, the older sibling ran up to the log and kicked it.

         "Hey!" protested the four-year old. "I'm gonna tell Mom."

         "Just have a peek. I've got somethin' new in here. Somethin' magical. Aren't they pretty?"

         She waved the glowing glass bottle near Christina's flushed cheeks. Christina batted away the proffering.

         "Ewww, it's just gross bugs. I don't want 'em. Get 'em away from me!"

         "No, look. Dad told me these are lightning bugs? See. They light up like tiny flashlights. I found them over by the big tree."

         "Do they bite? I don't wanna be itchy."

         Alexandra pressed her eight-year old nose into the bottle's neck and shook its contents. Funny, she could hear tiny voices. She shook her head and swiped at her ears.

         "Is that you Chrissy makin' weird noises?"

         "Whatcha talkin' about?"

         With a tiny yelp, Alexandra dropped the jar. Without moving too far from the warm fire, Christina caught it before it smashed to the ground. Now that she held the bottle she risked a glance at its contents.

         "Um, Allie, I see somethin' kinda strange. Those bugs are wavin' at me. They're smilin', too."

         Her big sis just nodded and whispered, "I know."

         Both girls stared afraid to blink. When the waving would not stop they each raised a hand and waggled it. One of the bugs stuck its tongue out and the sisters laughed. Another one tried to play a game of peek-a-boo.

         Alexandra turned the jar upside down over another log and patted its bottom. Out tumbled five tiny winged creatures.

         "Whew, it's about time you released us. How would you like to be cooped up in there? It was so hot and stuffy inside. And, hey, we heard you. We are not bugs, thank you very much."

         "What are ya," whispered Chrissy.

         The figures stretched and fluttered their gossamer wings. Together they flew to hover next to the sisters.

         "You'd best close those mouths before you swallow some real insects like blackflies. We, to answer your question, are fairies. And before you ask, yes we are real, very real. Not many people ever notice us and this was the first time we were captured in a bottle."

         "Where do you live? We don't live here. We're camping in that trailer over there," explained Alexandra.

         "We only see you in the summertime. We reside in The Big Tree. We like that all those green leaves allow us to hide. We see you play and sit around this fire. Whoa, don't squish us. Our wings are fragile."

         Both sisters mumbled a sorry. The wings were just so beautiful, pink, green and blue with sparkles.

         "What is it like to fly?"

         "It feels wonderful. Sometimes, we race the birds and the bumble bees. What's it like to swim?"

         Just then Mom yelled from the trailer, "It's bedtime girls."

         Alexandra and Christina nodded their good nights to their new camp friends.

         "We'll see you in the morning, okay? Should we knock on the tree?"

         "Oh, I'm sure we'll hear you before you get anywhere near our home. Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite."

         As the sisters ambled towards bed, Chrissy piped up.

         "Do we have any bed bugs?"

(571 words)